Center Resources

2006 New Faculty Orientation

Pam Sutton, Professor of English

What do the words “people focused” mean to me?

I believe it means relationships. When we enter the
mission field, we develop relationships to share our faith. Likewise, I believe
before I can teach content, I must first develop relationships with my students
to build a classroom community of learners.

How is “people focused” reflected in my classroom?

People-focused activities in my classroom begin the first
day and continue throughout the semester, not only in the classroom but in the
hall, in my office, at school events, and even in my home.

On the first day of class, I read the syllabus for the
course. As I read the course objectives, grading policies and grading scale,
and day-to-day activities and assignments, I observe the wide eyes, especially
of the freshman. I then proceed to give “Six Cures for Stress” which serves as
an icebreaker but also good advice for the first few weeks of school. (This
advice includes doing each of the following daily: get the right amount of
sleep, eat five times—three meals and two snacks, do something physical, do
something fun, do something social, and spend time alone. I stress that doing
each of these daily in moderation reduces stress, but doing any of them in
excess may increase stress.)

Probably the most important thing I do is on the second day
of class. I play a name game where not only do I learn each student’s name,
hometown, and a unique quality, but students also learn those same things about
each other. For example, my name is Dr. Sutton, I’m from Magnolia, Arkansas,
and something unique about me is . . . . and I name one of the following: I’m a
baseball mom, I’m driving my fifth Honda, I’m a klutz on three continents (U.S.,
China, and Italy), I make coffee nervous, I can say four things in Chinese,
etc.

During the semester I’ll get to know my students through
their writing, but also through talks in the hall before and after class.

Note: My students will also tell you of my stories (told,
of course, when they related to the day’s lesson), stories of my life which
reveal that I have a life outside of the classroom. For example, if I were
teaching this fall (and not on a research leave), my students would hear the
following stories from my summer: I spent 21 days caring for my mom; I traveled
to Virginia to watch my older son play a minor league baseball game and give his
testimony to a youth group on his 23rd birthday; I rappelled down a
45 foot tower with my younger son who was working at Sharp Top Cove, a Young
Life camp in Georgia; and I introduced myself to Tommy Lasorda in a New Orleans’
restaurant. Students especially like stories from my college days such as when
I fell out of a chair in the student center my freshman year and when I fell
down a flight of stairs my sophomore year.

Stories connect us; they help others see us as part of the
same world. After hearing my stories, often students will seek me out in my
office to tell me their stories. My office door is open during office hours and
sometimes even after office hours are over. Students (and colleagues) know I
keep a stash of chocolate in my office and I’m available for free pep talks.

Last year I signed on Facebook after my students told me of
this new phenomenon. While I respond to their notes, I do select how much and
when I do so. My college son even wrote on my wall using his best sub-standard
English to let my students know his sense of humor.

I also try to attend a few activities my students are
participating in such as a play, sporting event, recital, variety show, All
Sing, etc. Usually these activities allow me to support several students with
one attendance, especially the variety show and All Sing.

Last fall when my younger son left for college and I
experienced the “empty nest” for the first time, I divided my students into
groups of eight and invited them to my home for “Soup with Sutton.” The
students enjoyed getting away from campus, sitting around a dining table, and
even playing with my dog.

To be honest, during my first year at Union when I was
completing a dissertation while I was adjusting to a new city, church, and
university and my two teenage sons were making their own adjustments, I did well
to survive. As I developed relationships with my students, I quickly learned to
discern student needs and student wants regarding my time outside of class, to
keep my office door open during office hours but closed during private time for
class preparation, and to choose selective school activities to attend and
support my students.

True, I was hired to teach. But I believe to teach
effectively I must first build relationships so my students know I care about
them. Then through my course content I can teach life skills such as
communication (written and oral), critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis.

Our Bible verse for this academic year is Colossians 3:14.
I believe that building relationships with our students is one way we can “put
on Love” and be people focused.

"Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful observation of objective structures we cause thought processes to move in a certain way . . . When done with concentration, perception and repetition, ingrained habits of thought are formed."
-Richard Foster; Celebration of Discipline